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Having coached intellectually challenged basketball players for 14 years, Kurc Buzdegan knows a good team when he sees one.

When he takes his Langley Warriors onto the floor of the basketball court at the University of B.C. War Memorial Gym this week as part of the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games, the other 11 teams competing in the sport had better look out.

“I couldn’t have hand-picked the team better if I tried,” said Buzdegan, whose 25-year-old son, Carson, plays on the team. “We are so fortunate that everything has kind of come together.”

His Warriors have just about everything you could look for in a basketball team — a stellar record, leaders on the court, height, and a coach who sees strengths rather than deficiencies. It’s a dream team.

The team has been fortunate, too, to have Cheryl Jean-Paul, the head coach of Trinity Western University’s women’s basketball team, on board to mentor. She and her players have come out to work on a one-on-one basis with the Warriors. As a result, the level of play and coaching has been taken to a higher level.

“What we’ve seen come out of the athletes is more than I could have imagined,” said Buzdegan.

This is great because the Special Olympic Summer Games — which will see the UBC campus swarming with 2,000 athletes, coaches and officials — are highly competitive, he said. Intellectual challenges do not hamper the burning desire to win possessed by most athletes.

The Warriors are undefeated in three years as a team. More than half of the players are over six feet tall. Two are 6-foot-5.

The oldest member, 33-year-old Alastair Singh, brings experience in high-level competitions having participated in track and field at the World Games.

Matthew Williams, a point guard, has been appointed a Special Olympics international ambassador, speaking out on the world stage on the needs of intellectually challenged Canadians. Over the past few years, the articulate 21-year-old has travelled across the globe, to places like Morocco, Greece, Panama, South Korea and the U.S. to spread a message of inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities. He brings crucial leadership qualities to the court.

Then there is the father-and-son, coach-and-player duo. Each brings his own magic

Buzdegan doesn’t softpedal the need for patience when coaching this group of special athletes. He has had to learn to read subtle signals from each of them. For example, some are less comfortable when you stand too close to them while coaching, yet others welcome it.

“You need to understand that each one is unique and figure out what really works for them individually and then help to put that together in a cohesive way.”

At 5-foot-6, Carson, who has Down syndrome, is one of the shortest players on the team, but he is naturally athletic and seems to have been born to play basketball.

“He has had a ball in his hands since he was five,” said the proud father.

The road to the Special Olympic Games has been long and arduous.

Basketball was only sanctioned this year as one of 11 sports in the event. It has taken countless volunteer hours by Buzdegan and others to get to this level.

For him, it has all been worthwhile. The sport has given Carson “a little bit of swagger.” It has helped to build motor skills, strength, eye co-ordination and “all the good things you want out of a sport.”

“I think Carson takes a lot of pride in helping the other four players on the floor. He likes to be a contributing part of something bigger. He takes a lot of pride in that.”

Games chairman Cathy Priestner Allinger, who brings a hefty amount of experience in staging games and managing venues, athletes and volunteers from her five years of work with the organizing committee for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, said these athletes are starting to get the same specialized treatment as others.

They are now getting the right sports therapists, massages, nutritional information and other help.

“I don’t believe that has been a big part of their development,” said Allinger. As a result, “the evolution of the ability of the athletes is improving significantly. Athletes have been putting their hearts and souls into preparing for the Games.”

Echoing the famous words of organizers of the Olympic Games, she said, “We want this to be the best Games ever.”

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